A High School Story

“Mom?” I called as Keyla and I walked into the house.
“She’s not here yet,” Angelica yelled from somewhere upstairs and I let out a sigh of relief, “She called about twenty minutes ago and said she was just leaving the airport.”
“See, we could have talked to the hotties for at least ten more minutes,” Keyla said closing the door behind her and then following me up the stairs.
“They had to go anyway you dork,” I laughed.
“They were into us! They would have stayed!” she protested loudly.
“Keep it down, if Angelica lets it slip to my mom that a guy was showing interest in me then I’ll have to sit through the whole no boys until after Harvard speech again,” I whispered under my breath to her.
“Why does your mom insist on giving you that speech every time a guy looks at you?”
“Cause my grades slipped last time a guy broke up with me,” I answered.
“You got an A-!”
“Exactly, it’s not an A now is it?”
I smiled at Keyla and she rolled her eyes before pushing open the door to my room and throwing her duffle bag in its usual spot by the door.
“So are you going ridding tomorrow?” I asked as I shut the door and threw my over packed book bag onto the floor next to her duffle bag.
“Nah, too much work to do this weekend,” she answered and flopped down lazily on my bed.
“Tell me about it, I have a crap load to do,” I sighed and sat down on my desk chair.
“You’re not working tonight are you?”
“Of course not, I can get it done in plenty of time if I can focus long enough.”
“Which you never seem to be able to do I might point out.”
“Oh haha,” I teased her and stuck my tongue out.
“Mollie!” a familiar voice yelled from downstairs and I looked over at my door.
“Your mom’s home,” Keyla informed me and I turned my head to give her my usual questioning look, “Just thought I’d let you know.”
“Thanks babe, I never would have been able to deduce that on my own,” I joked and she smiled before standing up and following me out of my room.
“You do seem to use all of your brain power for all of those AP and Honors College,” she laughed and I hip bumped her into the wall, “Hey! What was that for?”
“For being a smart ass,” I replied and she glared while rubbing her sides tenderly and walking down the stairs behind me, “Hi mom!”
“There you are! I was beginning to think that you weren’t home on time to greet your old mom!” she embraced me tightly and I knew just how much trouble I had just narrowly avoided, “Oh, hello Keyla.”
“Hi Mrs. Mansfield. How was Pairs?”
“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” she replied and then pulled back to look me over, “But of course it wasn’t as beautiful as you!”
“Thanks mom,” I laughed and whipped a strand of hair out of my face.
“It’s what moms do,” she replied and smiled at me tenderly, “So how have you been? Keeping up in class? Having fun?”
“I’m keeping up yeah,” I answered shaking my head, “And Keyla’s making sure I’m getting in a good amount of fun after homework on the weekends.”
“That’s good, really good.”
I knew that she hadn’t taken anything in after keeping up in classes.
“Are you sick though honey? You don’t look good,” she felt my forehead with the back of her hand and I sighed lightly.
“No, I’m fine. I was just up late last night working.”
“You can say that again,” Angelica scoffed from the kitchen doorway, “If I would have stayed up past two in morning my parents would have-“
“Two in the morning?” mom interrupted her and I nodded as I bit my lip, “Mollie have you been letting things go until the last minute again?”
“I didn’t have any time to work on the project last weekend and I’ve been busy studying for my Spanish midterm that I had yesterday. Plus, I didn’t think it would take as long as it did,” I explained and she sighed.
“You can’t let things go to the last minute honey.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know you didn’t sweetie,” she said and patted me lightly on the cheek, “Just try harder from now on right?”
“I know mom,” I replied and she smiled before letting me out of her arms.
“Now you two go have some fun tonight.”
“No objections here!” Keyla yelled and grabbed my hand before pulling me up the stairs.
“Keyla! Slow down!” I laughed as she raced down the hallway, still dragging me along.
“Like that’ll happen,” she scoffed and then flung me into my room and closed the door behind her tightly, “So what was all that about?”
“What was what about?” I asked trying to play dumb.
“Your mom, what was her issue. You get A’s in everything and it’s her fault that you’re taking so many classes that you can’t breathe. Why did she get all annoyed when Angelica mentioned you staying up late?”
“She thinks that if I stay up too late I won’t be able to pay attention in class,” I explained while digging under my bed for our secret stash of candy.
“Of course, should have guessed that,” she muttered and took one of the small bins from me as I took the other.

“Give them back!” I yelled as I struggled with Keyla to get my Skittles back.
“Neva!” she yelled in response before putting her foot in my face and trying to push me back.
“Keyla that’s disgusting!” I laughed and pushed her foot off of my face.
“That’s the point,” she replied and poured half of the contents of the bag into her mouth.
“Give me my skittles back you little thief!”
“Thad nod going to hadden,” she teased and dangled the bag in front of me.
“You want to bet on that?” I sneered before grabbing the bag out of her hand, jumping off my bed and running into my bathroom before locking it behind me.
“Unfair! You cheated!” Keyla whined from the other side.
“Yeah, yeah I’ve heard it all from you before,” I said before downing the rest of the bag and then throwing it into the trash can.
“But Mollie, I wove you!”
“And I wove you too cupcake! That still doesn’t excuse the fact that I got one of your toes in my mouth though!”
“But…but…but…”
“No buts,” I scolded her as I unlocked the door again and strolled out.
“But without butts you wouldn’t be able to sit on anything!” she protested.
“That is a very true fact my young protégé ,” I said while stroking my chin absentmindedly, “A very true fact indeed.”
“So does that mean I’m smarticle like you?”
“Hell no! It just means that you have enough common sense to state a fact known by everyone over the age of three years old!”
Her mouth dropped open and I smiled innocently.
“I cannot believe that you just said that,” she continued to gape at me as she spoke and I continued to smile as I replied.
“Honestly, you can’t? You can’t believe it at all?”
“Okay, yeah I can actually,” she laughed and smiled lightly.
“I thought so my dear Keyla, I thought so.”
“Wait a minute! You’re thinking?! Bad Mollie! Very bad Mollie! There is to be no thinking on Friday nights!”
“Get off of me you whack job!” I yelled and covered my head as she began to hit me over the head with a pillow.
“Not until you agree to stop thinking!”
“If I stop thinking that means I’m brain dead and have a very small chance of regaining consciousness!”
Keyla stopped hitting me with the pillow for a moment and I risked a glance up at her between my arms.
“But…but…but I don’t want you to be brain dead!”
“Then stop yelling at me to stop thinking!”
“Then stop yelling at me!”
“I’m not yelling at you! Now stop yelling at me!”
“I’m not yelling at you! Now stop yelling at-”
“Would you two give it a break for the night!” Angelica yelled from the other side of my door causing Keyla and I to burst out laughing before hugging each other.